It’s sad that so many of us in the U.S. – and especially in Seattle – live so far away from our families, our parents, our loved ones. That’s why spending time with my widowed mom means so much to me, here for Christmas in Wisconsin. Continue reading
Before I was born, you knew me. You sang lullabies to me, still unborn. You memorized my kicks, my restlessness. Wept with joy in hope, and wept with fear in despair: how to feed this unexpected mouth? Your first baby died – you were just 22… Continue reading
In my lifetime a handful of diseases have been eradicated – like smallpox – or tamed a bit – like HIV/AIDS. I grew up wanting to believe that hope was part of the methodology in scientific research, hope part of the prescription in healing. Hmm… Continue reading
My dad died a month ago today. Exactly one month ago this evening I sat at this computer cobbling together my global health web site, Global Health Lessons, background TV blaring a weepy funeral service for singer-diva Whitney Houston. Her death certificate blamed drowning, but the bigger blame was also Whitney’s deadly fondness for cocaine. … Continue reading
“SOCIAL UPHEAVAL MEANS SOUP KITCHENS, STRUGGLES FOR SOME RUSSIANS”(First published in The Seattle Times, 05/08/1994) [My note, years later: I like this story as a reflection of the times, showing the resilience of Russia’s elderly struggling to adapt to changes, even as they wondered where their next meal would come from. I later volunteered at … Continue reading
